To The Orphanage -
Si Badak, of Bali Travel Forum fame (now writing under the name 'Badak Belig'), introduced us to the Fransiscan Orphanage in Tuka through a small mention in one of his regular postings.

My curiosity was piqued and I resolved to visit during our forthcoming holiday in September of 2000.

I was not prepared, mentally, for what we found, and to this day I am relieved that most of the children were at school when we made that first visit.

Subsequently I wrote about this in my Bali Story 2000 diary (Day 15) which was posted on the Forum.  It stirred an unexpected and  pleasing response from a number of readers and I like to think that it persuaded many other travellers to make the visit also.

In answer to a number or readers questions I wrote these directions to the Orphanage, originally for a poster named Michael. 
The details of the Orphanage and the orphans, which follows the directions, are from Si Badak.


Details of other Orphanages, which we have subsequently heard about, follow under the first story.


Hi Michael,
I'm not sure that I can put you right on the doorstep of the Orphanage but I can get you to the village of Tuka and your driver can ask directions of locals when you get there, Tuka is not a large village and the orphanage is well known to locals.
I have used a 'Periplus Editions Travel Map' of Bali (ISBN # 0-945971-49-4) for the following description.
From Tuban/Kuta/Legian take the north road. 'Jalan (road) Raya Tuban' changes name to 'Jl Raya Kuta' and then to 'Jl Raya Legian' and then 'Jl Raya Seminyak' before taking a sharp right turn and becoming 'Jl Raya Kerobokan', still heading north to the large village of Kerobokan which is a little north of due east from Denpasar and just over 4 Km from the very centre of Denpasar.
From here you have two choices.
- either go further north to the village of Tegeh then generally west on side roads which wind left, right, left, right and right again to Tuka - or probably better -
- turn west (left) at Kerobokan and take the road to Tanah Lot Temple. About 3 Mk along this road you pass through Canggu before arriving at the village of Kayutulang. A right turn here (heading north again) brings you to Tuka, about 3 Mk further on from Kayutulang.
The total trip is about 15 km as the crow flies over the roads but perhaps closer to 18 km given the small twists and turns that the map does not show.
You could make a scenic day trip by going the Canggu/Kayutulang route and returning via the side roads to Tegeh.

There is another orphanage in the west of Bali and also an Orphanage on
Lombok. Details of these and others, as far as I know them, are at the end of this page.
A drop-off point for the Palasari (west Bali) Orphanage is at No 5 Serma Kawi Street in Denpasar.
                                                     ~ o O o ~


                             
TUKA FRANCISCAN ORPHANAGE, BALI -

The address is ;
Panti Asuhan Katolik.    
('Institute of Caring.')
Jln Raya Tuka,              
(Tuka Road.)
Desa Tuka,                   
(Village of Tuka)
Bngr Dalung.                 
(Administrative District of Dalung.)

A local driver will understand this.

This Orphanage is run by the Franciscan Sisters and subsists totally on the support of kind people: no help whatever is available in any form from the Government in Indonesia for institutes other than those run by the Muslim majority.

About 100 young girls and boys are cared for at one time, no religious criteria apply for entrance, those in need are not set adrift on the world at the age of 17 as practiced by other Christian Orphanages, rather they are welcome to stay until they have found a living.

Their ages range from 3 years to adults.

In Indonesia there are three names for an orphan, depe?ding on their situation:

YATIM              =  WITHOUT FATHER.
PIATU               =  WITHOUT MOTHER.
YATIM-PIATU  = WITHOUT ANY PARENTS.

As well as the above three categories sometimes children whose families are too destitute to feed them, commit them to the care of the Sisters for reasons of survival only.

The main problem for the Orphanage is money for education and medication. However, donations of food or clothing are welcome also.

The problem with education is that, after the children have gone through some tuition at the Orphanage, they then have to attend formal school outside. Every single stage of the education process has to be paid for, up front. Uniforms are compulsory, books to be bought, nominations, teachers' fees, exam fees and every possible charge associated with education has to be paid for.
If money is unavailable, some children have to wait their turn until the money turns up from somewhere.

Visitors are always welcome and the smallest donations are received with genuine gratitude.
A special Religious Service is held each Saturday evening when everybody prays for the well-being of donors.

In Tuka is the first Catholic Church built in Bali. Anybody interested in more details of this may email me,
rhinorok@primus.com.au for further information.


I
hope this is a help to you, Michael. For more info the e-mail address at the end is Si Badak who often writes on the Forum.
Tuka is a quiet locality, only about 3 Km off the busy tourist road to Tanah Lot temple, but it feels like another planet after coming from the Kuta/Legian area.
                                     The LOMBOK Orphanage.

PATMOS, Jl Abdullah bin ABD, Kadir Munsyi No 20, Ph (0370) 626 441.

Supported by Dutch woman, Lieke Rotsteeg, who stays at the Sengiggi Beach Hotel for 6 months each year.
contact the Front Office manager at the Sengiggi Beach Hotel, Putu Indiawan for more information.

There are about 80 children of all ages up to young adults who help to tutor the younger children.

Donations are very welcome. Clothing which your children have outgrown, school equipment of any sort, treats and toys for the children and of course cash donations to help pay school fees (nothing is free in Indonesia).
.

Posted on the Bali Travel Forum by Trevor_H ® on Sunday, 9. September 2001 at 19:44 Bali Time:


With Si Badak putting on the pressure with a fund raiser, I thought it about time I got down to providing information about the Franciscan orphanages we visited at the beginning of July. The orphanage at Tuka (Dalung) has been reasonably well documented on this forum and details are on www.bali.tripod.com/orphanage.htm and www.guidetobali.com.

However, searching the Charities page of the BTF host, I found that the Bali International Women's Assn (who distribute the funds) had passed a donation to another orphanage in Palasari, West Bali. Email contact was made with Julia, who was able to provide me with contact details and the list of needs. The children here are older, nominally teen to 21. As always in Bali, there are exceptions, and there are some boys from 8 years.

We departed Kuta around 8:30am for the 3 hour trip towards Gilimanuk. About halfway between Negara and Gilimanuk (around Candikusuma), we headed away from the coast, asking along the way for directions. The orphanage, Panti Asuhan Maria Goretti, is actually on the same block as the Catholic Church. It is easier to get directions to this, and then drive around to the southeast side. The orphanage backs onto the church grounds.

The Sister in Charge (Susteran OSF) is Sr. Lisbeth OSB. She speaks English rather well. This was a blessing as the day would have been much longer if my driver had to translate. After insisting we join the sisters in a simple light lunch, Sr. Lisbeth showed me around the buildings.

The impression is one of much poverty. Sr. Lisbeth explained that, with no one to fix things, and no money to buy materials, they had to make do with what there was. Everything was clean, but very bare and well worn. Newspaper at the windows to stop the wind through broken louvers, badly chipped walls, and rickety furniture was the norm throughout the areas. It seems that a hotel, recently renovating, donated beds and mattresses. My mind could not comprehend what they might have had prior to this! The beds were covered with a sheet, no other covers. Several of the beds had two pillows, indicating two younger occupants. A couple of the beds in the girls sleeping rooms had teddy bears. Their clothes are stored in cupboards about small single wardrobe size. They are allocated one half for all their clothes and possessions. The ablutions area was tiled and mopped clean, but very, very basic.

The dining area had all the square wooden chairs upturned on the bench tables so the floor could be cleaned. The kitchen was a narrow room with a small servery into the dining area to distribute the food. The "sink" looked more like grandma's laundry tubs. The pantry was a wood framed wire cage with a padlock. Three large pots simmered on gas burners, cooking the "side dishes" for the next meal. The rice is cooked outside over an open fire near the pigpens. Drinking water boiled there also.

The study rooms had old wooden desks. Sr. Lisbeth told me that there was a serious need for lockers to store the children's few schoolbooks and pencils. Whilst I didn't see the "music room" or the "TV room", I was told they have a small organ and a TV. (In a later phone call, after the Presidential election, Sr. Lisbeth told me that the children had wanted to see some of the news but the TV was broken.)

The laundry consists of a bench and buckets. The washing water drains to a below ground cement holding tank with a small opening in the top. The electric pump that is supposed to move this water to the vegetable garden has not worked for a long time. Indeed, seeing the bare wires and open switchgear, I wondered how close the children had come to being electrocuted. Two 12mm hoses ran from the tank opening in a vain attempt to syphon the water. I was told later that the children try to bail the water but that is very difficult.

I was able to leave a small donation that Sr. Lisbeth gratefully accepted. However, I knew that I would not be able to walk away unaffected by what I'd seen.

Back home, with some of the video stills printed, I asked around, small article in the local parish newssheet, etc. Three weeks later, a pump purchased, an offer to take it to Bali (on honeymoon no less!) and A$400 TT'd to the orphanage account! Very pleasing result.

We had also visited the Tuka orphanage the same evening as I had been to Palasari. Rae was asked to individually present the pencil cases we had carried from Aus. That was a rather moving event. The other packs of biros, pencils, balls, skipping ropes, etc were left for the nuns to dispense.
Boiling water to cook rice.
Boys dormitory.
The Palasari Orphanage, West Bali.
Made Wirya Adnyana is an experienced and reliable driver who is familiar with the Bali Orphanages.  His home phone is (0361) 429 435 and his mobile is 0818 343 093.
Hope Childrens Home.
Posted by Burti ®.

A posting by 'Traveller' on 8th Nov about another orphanage caught our attention and I took it with us as we intended to visit several places.

This home is Wisma Anak-Anak Harapan in the village of Untal-Untal Dalung, 1kilometre to the west from Sempidi and about 12kms north of Kuta.
A bit hard to find but if you drive past the large motorcycle repair place you have passed it so turn about and go back 200yds and is up a side alley about 5 yds.

We arrived unannounced in pouring rain and were warmly welcomed by the Father, Rev. Daniel and his wife whom the children call Mother.  He speaks excellent English and is 75yrs old.  Mother speaks no English but another young woman who was raised there also is fluent.

We felt so at home there and could feel the love surrounding them which was reflected in the happy children. The place itself is very old and rundown but exceptionally clean.Toilets are a good indicator of cleanliness and I couldn't fault theirs.

There are 108 children including the 1yr old toddler whose mother is blind.  All happy healthy and well kept.

Father is a man who realises the need for education and was fortunate to receive some obsolete computers from a Thai business man.They cannot afford a printer and the thought of internet access is way beyond their means but at least they will get a training in the use of keyboards etc.

To obtain money for the school fees they play music at various hotels and have been invited to the Ritz-Carlton to play carols for Christmas.

We were most impressed by this place and left reluctantly after about 2hrs.

This is a poem Father gave us:

"A bell is not a bell until you ring it,
a song is not a song until you sing it
and love in your heart is not put there to stay,
Love is not Love until you give it away.

                                                   -   -   o o O o o   -  -

The story of our (The Filo's) trip to this Orphanage is towards the end of Day 3 of the full holiday story, 'A Rushed Trip To Bali'.